Disney Diner Plan - Recommend Resort or Park Dining Spots?

Do not go to the Sci Fi Diner AWFUL food. 50's Prime Time Diner is a blast Coral Reef is wonderful Tony's in Magic Kingdom is good too. Lady and the Tramp are inside. Biergarten was just ok. We do not like buffets and really didn't like this buffet. Try France or Mexico instead. Mexico is very cool inside. Crystal Palace do breakfast The Aloha show counts as two sit down dinners Try Mama Melrose in Hollywood Studios-best food. Just a note You have several restaurants inside resorts and not at the parks. It takes a lot of time to travel to the resort, eat, then travel back. You will be wasting a lot to time doing this. You would have to plan on an hour travel time if you were at a park and had to go to the resort to eat. I would make reservations at the park you will be at that day.

You have a good list of restaurants. So much of dining is personal preference, so don't be put off by any comments. Most of the places you mention have good atmosphere. I see that you have the Spirit of Aloha Show. Most of my clients like the Hoop Dee Doo Revue better, but both are fun. You may be limited by the number of days you are on vacation. I do not recommend doing more than one sit down meal each day. It just takes too much time away from the fun in the parks.

I just have to say that the Sci-Fi cafe really does have some of THE WORST food on Disney property. There's better choices pretty much anywhere else. Indiana Jones is on crack anyways, so take it with a grain of salt.

I am not trying to deter you from the Dining Plan, but I recommend you at least check out this link. It has every restaurant listed, along with it's menu and prices. Every time my husband and I go to Disney we look at it, and it is NEVER cheaper for us to do the Dining Plan as opposed to eating when and where we want. Just make a "mock" meal plan and figure up your total, and then compare to the Dining Plan. The one restaurant that I recommend is Trail's End in Fort Wilderness Campground. It is a buffet restaurant and the food is filling and plentiful. There is a petting zoo there, as well as the stables where the draft horses that pull the wagons in Magic Kingdom live. In addition to that there is pony rides for little ones, and wagon hayrides in the evening. Fort Wilderness is easiest accessed from the Magic Kingdom by boat, from the Contemporary by boat, or any other major theme park by bus.

Since you have kids the ones that I most recommend are Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace they both have a lot of characters. Crystal Palace is more of a meet and greet and Chef Mickey's has a music celebration thing...(ha I know great description) and the kids really get into it and the characters dance around by your tables and stuff. And Ohana has amazing food and sometimes has things for kids too. The Dining plan is definitely worth the money.

November 13, 2008 Help Needed, Sounds like a great itinerary. I hope you have a wonderful time making memories for your daughters. Just remember: "Chill Out," anything goes, you are on vacation! Susan Syra

don't listen to "drip" sci-fi is one of the best places to eat for service, atmosphere, and food. i've been going there as long as i can remember. its like an old 1950's drive in. some waiters go areound on rollerskates, you sit in a CAR and there is a big screen that is showing old time and mostly funny previews for movies. and the food is really really good and if you get the onion rings they are like as big as your face. no kidding and all the other places that you have listed are really great as well. i'd also recommend liberty tree tavern in magic kingdom. adults and kids alike can get a big colonial fiest. and cap'n jacks in downtown disney is a really awesome place with great food too. other than those i think you have it pretty much covered. and you're girls will absolutely love the cinderellas royal table in the castle. its is an amazing experience. but keep in mind it is a signature dining so it costs 2 table service meals per person. have a great time!!

dining at disney is one of my hobbies i live in miami and drive up there just for that. In Epcot if you have two girls Biergarten is great because Cinderella is there food is not the best but considering the girls I would suggest that one. Now for your delight I would recommend two places: Flying fish which is one of my favorite restaurants ever and it is in the Boardwalk hotel a short walk from Epcot and a lovely area around the lake the other place in Epcot would be Canada's steakhouse. I like Coral Reef since while you are dining you see the fish swimming around but honestly the food is not the best and it is just not consistent. Chef Mickeys and cinderellas castle are nearly impossible to get a reservation you can try but it is hard. If you do get a reservation try for chef mickeys it is the best breakfast in town and the kids will love it to boot due to the characters. Sci fi is not bad but i love the Brown Derby since it has the best food and second i would choose Mama Melrose. For the girls dont miss the Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom, Pooh and his crew are there, i would suggest it over Cinderellas castle actually. I did not like the food at Liberty tree too much but the characters are fun there. if you dine at Animal Kingdom i suggeset Yik and Yak the asian one it is delicious. California Grill has great food and if you time it correctly you can see the fireworks from up there, i did it once and it was amazing, they turn down the lights and you see a great show. 1900 I liked for breakfast due to the characters and the food was good too. Ohana was good but I would head over to Animal Kingdom's Jiko, one of the best restaurants on property and the girls can see the animals from the lobby and other locations, it is a great hotel to visit. I would skip the Aloha show you can do that anywhere does not have to be disney. If you wanted to see a fun show they have one at Fort WIlderness campground starting at about 5:15pm for the first show. My personal favorites: Jiko, Flying Fish, Todd English blue zoo, Epcot's canada, Mexico in Epcot, sometimes Chef mickey in Epcot, in magic Kingdom Crystal Palace, Hollywood studios: brown derby, Narcossees at The floridian, the buffet at animal kingdom: boma, the bbq at wilderness lodge

Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue is a great dinner show that hasn't been mentioned. It takes up two dinner credits but I think you and your kids will really enjoy it. I also want to agree that Le Cellier at the Canada pavilion in Epcot is definetly a must.